Method of making printing devices



Feb. 16, 1937.

E. u. T. BERx-HELSENv 2,070,573

METHOD OF MAKING PRINTING DEVICES Filed Jan. 24, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet A1 J. I.. SMITH Straw/MAQ Feb. 16, 1937. E. u. T. BERTHEL'SEN 2,070,573

METHOD OF MAKING PRINTING DEVICES Filed Jan. 24, 1954 V2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 16, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,070,573 METHOD OF M'AKNG PRINTING DEVICES' ration of Delaware Application January 24, 1934, Serial No. 708,133

19 claims.

This invention relates to an improved method of making printing devices comprisingindividual members which may carry printing lines. These members may be holding frames on which there "may be mounted removable printing plates, which series of operations, each independent of the others. A roll of metal strip was fed into a stamping machine and one of the first acts was to sever a blank from the strip of suitable size to furnish material to complete the member as successive operations were performed.A Thus, during all the forming process after this severance from the strip, the only guiding support effective with respect to the partially formed plate had to be active within the connes of an r area, but little larger than the area of the completed frame.

Such a restriction of the guiding action was unsatisfactory, as it prevented the maintenance cf the blank being formed in rigid alignment with the die, as successive stamping operations were performed. This, in turn, meant that two produced plates might have considerable variation between certain of their respective dimensions, and further, and more important, that one plate might be and often was so inaccurately formed as to render it of uncertain accuracy in printing, or even entirely useless.

My improved method overcomes the disadvantages of inaccuracy hitherto encountered in making such address printing devices. Instead ci severing the individual blank from the supply roll immediately, I retain each blank asa portionof the strip from the supply roll for as large a number of operations as possible.

Thus, that portion lying between the dies of the stamping machine may represent several printing devices, each in a diierent stage 'of formation, the portion at'the end of the strip being most nearly completed, while the portion of the strip just entering between the dies is ready to receive the first forming operation. The intermediate portion of the strip discloses successive operations, each tending to further complete the device.

Retaining the partially formed device in one piece for as long as possible, permits a guiding D means between the dies, which more Vfirmly positions the work for the successive operations and insures greater accuracy than Vwas hitherto possible.

In a preferred apparatus for use in carrying out my method of manufacture, I incorporate three types of strip guiding means, namely, rollers stationary on the machine bed to guide the work therebetween; stationary guides located within the connes of the work to guide it as it moves along, and movable stop-mechanism in the nature of camming lugs. This latter mechanism may engage successive notches, cut by the die in the sides of the strip, to accurately position the strip after each feeding operation.

At a certain stage of the progressive movement of the supply strip through the die, it becomes necessary to sever the frame from the strip in order that the edges transverse of the strip may be properly formed. From this point on numerous guides in the form of camming lugsl may successively engage the edges of the partially formed device and move it along as the remaining operations of forming are performed by succeeding portions of the die, until the completed member is discharged.

One of the objects of my invention is to enable the production of printing devices so accurately and uniformly formed that the embossed characters or the printing plate may be precisely located thereon. Such accuracy is very important, for instance where the matter printed must often be located within denite connes which closely bound the printing.V Examples of this are where the imprint must be within a given space surrounded by other printed matter, or where gures must align in columns.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a method of forming a printing member and the ribs which guide it on the printing bed, in such manner that the ribs are always equally spaced and properly positioned with respect to the rest of the member. This accuracy in the rib location insures an accurate alignment between the printing bed and the embossed type carried by the member. y

A still further objectof my invention is to provide accurate mountings in the member for an index card and an index tab. These mountings, using my improved method of manufacture, can be. located very deiinitely, and hence positively position the card and tab.

Other objects of my improved method of manufacture will become apparent hereafter, as disclosed in the specification which follows, and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. In these drawings, holding frames for carrying separate embossed Yprinting plates are shown, but

` printingplate; an `indexlcard and-two'iindex tabs` the same method may be employed where no separate printing plate is used but the frame is to be directly embossedl with printing characters. It will be convenient, however, in the following specinc description, to refer to the devices of the drawings as holding frames. The novel feature of my invention will be set forth in the claims. f

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. l is a side elevation indicating astampingk machine which I may employ and a roll of metal ribbon being, fed thereinto; Fig. 2 is a'composite plan, showing the various'forrns taken by an address frame during the stages of its* manufacture by process; Fig. 3 is a plan of the completed address frame; Fig. 4 is a similar plan, butY havingY a aretransverse"` sections` of the fstrip Yor( portions i thereof atf successivefstages; as indicatedbythe correspondingly numbered lines on FigQZ, Fig: '75 showing also a guidingmeans mounted" on the tions` lengthwiseofi the gstrip of' several portions thereof; as indicated by the -lines 9"-9 and IIL-I0, respectively; `onf Fig. 2'; Fig. 1l-is "a longitudinal section; through a printing frame' andY plate as indicated by thellinel l-| l on Fig; 4; Fig. 12is a transversey section through the frame;index card, tab and plate; as indicated Aby the line I2'-I2" on s Fig. 4:.'

A4 stampingmachine; suchas may be usedfin my improved method; is indicated at 2li-'in Fig. 1, andcomprisesabase portion 2Iand a head 22,

adaptedto reciprocate toward and'away'from the b'ase. An uppendie 2'ltiand alower die 25 are indicatedV vOnepair ofdies mayf accomplish the entire 'forming process; or; if' desired; moremay be used, all VmountedV on the? baseV and head "and y operating'as a Vunit; A roll' of -sheet metall' 26 'of fthe' proper widthto'form` a completed frame; is Y AL istrip' 30- Ycomes from the roll Vandisledl througha suitable` Ystraightening andl feedingmechanism 3l i which feeds the strip'into` the-dies ofithema'chine by" mounted onA suitable supports 21;`

intermittent'steps;V y

' While all of the different operationsV of' the dies. about' to be'explained` takeplacesimultanee` ously, it is convenienti to referto the f different actions as steps in the. gradualitransformationf ofY agiven area' of the strip; Thatis, oncethe' strip 3U has been fedinto the. dies. far. enoughso' that the' last step may be performed'upon it, then with every actuation'of the pressfevery die operation takes place, though onmaterial'in successively nearer complete formation, andV every timexthe dies are separateda completedframadrops off at the finish end. Y v

The irstfunction to. be'performredlon the` stripas it enters the dies, vis theforming'ofthe endY notches 32and U-slits 33.. This is done' atwhat wemay call stage A.'V The strip thenY moves ron between the dies4 until it reaches stage B. ANo fur-r Y ther forming ofithe plate takes place here',' but suitable guides 35; engage themsewes' with the previously cut vnotches 32;

These guides move vertically in the press immediatelyvv after the feeding mechanism ybecomes inactive and beforel the diesbecomeactive moveoutfof engagement Y with' the inpatinnotchesY before the feeding mech- 7 5 ani'sm is next active and after` the 'dies have completed an operation. After the next feedingY operation is complete, these guides 35 move into the next succeeding pair of notches 32 and act in this manner to retainthe strip in the proper position under the dies, thus insuring that each piece will be stamped precisely as desired.

The next operation in the formation of the frame takes place at stage C. Here, slits 33 which have been previouslyV cut, cause the formation of the outwardly extending tongue 31. This tongue, as indicated in Fig. 1l, is so formed that it tends tospring: upwardly out of the general plane of the frame. In addition to a main flat portion 38 of the'tongue, a minor portion 39 is at theendV ofthe tongue; parallel with it, but at ahigher elevation. 'Ihere results an abutment 40 at the place where the difference'in elevation of these two .parts of the tongue takes place. This abutment has at its center a portion'fll, extending in. l Y.

wardly further than the adjacent portion 49, as

inFig..3. Thexraised. portion 39 provides means n y s for: the manualldepression ofthe tongue to releasethe. printing plate from the'engagement of the abutment it andfprojection 4 I; as hereinafter more fully described.-

Axsmall; upwardly extending inwardly facingV lipx-43 is also formed at this stage, as well'asl a` roughly triangular upwardlyextending lip' 45'2 This` lip 451lhas two ofitssides liandfA-T con;-

Ynectedwith the main frame strip 30.1 The third sidefremainsopen so that 'afcard may be slid under the lip 45ito' seat* itself in the pocketZ formed by the .sides 46 and`41.

The first' formationpf'the ends 'of' my frame is alsosaccomplished atv step C. Here, as again shown inrFig 5, at each side of the strip--aU- shaped channel 50 Tis formed; comprising in addition to the channel'proper a-flangeparallel with the general .strip 3i!` and'lying a shortfdistanceibee lowf it.` This formation', after later operations Yhavebeen performed -uponit; will 'comprises rib whichnotV only-reinforces the general frame, but

acts as a meansfor .guiding the frame'on thebed ledgesextend upwardly above the frame plate andV have their open portion facing the-preformed tongues r 31 Y Y It isofgreat vimportance that at all times the strip 30 be properly positioned betweenithe dies 24fand 25; For this reasonwa'furtheri guiding means is shown in step E. The section in Fig. 7

clearly disclosesthisguidingmeans in the form of stationary blocks 6D, retained in the bed 2''by suitable screws 63,'whi`ch are counter-sunk below the upper face ofthe guide to :allow the strips to move freely over them.

As the strip Sllpasses over theguides 30, the die ofthe stamping machine again changes the angle the plateand forces them-to lbe further bent in an ywhich theV channels 5U maintainwith respect to arc until the channels partially `underlie the flat portion 30. Each Vof the .guides has an inclined Yportion 6lw.hich limitsY theV movement of the channel 50'. It is, ofcourse, apparent that'asthe channels 50" are moved until they come into Y surface. to surface contact .with the inclined edges 6l of the guides 3G', there can be very little clearance to allow sideward movement of the piece 38. What, in effect, happens is that the strip 36, which is to be guided by the members 50, is formed about the guides themselves, and thus, must of necessity, flt them very closely.

As the strip then progresses, it approaches the step F, at which place the channel 50 is completely formed, as shown in Fig. 8. This channel has now been bent through an arc of approximately 180 degrees, until it completely underlies the plate 36 and faces in the opposite direction to that it had when first formed. The reason for forming the flange 5I out of the plane of the strip 3F! now becomes apparent. The corner 66 may be formed in a more rounded manner than would be possible if flange 5l did not prevent the portion 6l from lying in contact'with the-underside of the strip 36. v

The only function talnng place at the step G, is the punching of three pairs of slits T8. The strip then moves on to step H, where the material between the slits l0 is formed into upwardly extending tongues ll. These tongues are well shown in Fig. 10. The sides of the tongue which connect it with the plate 38 is at the opposite end of the tongue from the corresponding side of the already formed ledges 55. This is to allow an index card to lie under the ledge tongues-H and the printing plate to lie under the ledges 55.

A third form of guiding means for the strip 30 is introduced at this point. It comprises a roller on each side of the strip and bearing against it. This roller l5 is mounted on the bed of the stamping machine by a suitable screw bearing T6. If desired, the roller 'l5 may be driven to aid in feeding a strip or it may rotate freely and act only as a guiding means in conjunction with its cooperating roller on the other side of the strip 38.

It is now apparent that my various guiding and locating means are adapted to accurately locate and firmly retain the strip 30 in its proper desired position between the dies of the stamping machine. Further, by the use of a long strip 30 it is possible to distribute the guiding means at wide intervals along its edges, and thus obtain a far better grip than would be possible if the frame was not retained as an integral part of the strip as long as possible. I have shown three forms of guiding means, all of which may be used or fewe-r, if desired. They may be arranged in any combination that is desired, and as many as needed employed.

The last step to be performed on the strip, as such, takes place at step J. Here the edge is cut. If the plate shown at step J is the rst one to go through the machine, this edge will be merely trued by the die. On the other hand, if various frames have preceded this one, the cut 8B marks a severance from the plate just ahead, and from this point on, the frames proceed as individuals, and not as integral parts of the strip 30.

The detached frames |00 are guided by the guides similar to the guides 35 or new guide members 82 may be substituted therefor. yIn addition, a third guide 83 now comes into play, engaging approximately the center of the edge opposite that engaged by the guides 82 or 35, as the case may be, and in this manner the frames are moved under the die faces to have the final operations performed on them.

At step L the edge 84, which has just been severed from the edge 80, is bent upwardly, as indicated in Fig. 9. As the frame then proceeds to step K, this upwardly extending ange 84 is bent over to form the ledge 85, to be used to retain the printing plate on the frame. At the same time, the opposite edge 80 is bent vertically upward, as indicated.

Step M is the last one in the formation of the completed frame. At this time, the upwardly extending edge flange is bent over to form a ledge 86 similar to the ledge 85. At this same step, a row of identical keepers S0 are formed, which are used to retain the index tab. Each of these keepers, as shown in Fig. l2, comprises three parts. The keeper proper 90, under which an index tab lies, and the flat portions 9| and 92, which lie on the other side of the index tab, retaining it rmly above them and below the keeper proper.

The completed frame is shown in Fig. 3. On the rear face of the frame |00 are the rib guides 55 extendingv along the transverse edges of the frame. On the face shown are the overlying ledges 85 and 85, which act in conjunction with the ledges 55 and the tongues 1l, respectively, to retain a printing plate and an index card. Spring tongues 37 are also present, as are the auxiliary lips 43 and 45. A row of keepers 98 lie adjacent one another near the ledge 86 at the top of the plate.

Fig. 4 shows the same frame, but with the index tab and card and the printing plate mounted thereon. j Two tabs H35 are shown, occupying two of the keepers 90. The tab is formed with a wider upper portion for indexing purposes and a narrower shank to fit the keeper. The index card H3 lies under the ledge 86 and the lips ll, being retained at the opposite sides by the corner pocket i5 and the small lip 43. To mount such an index card, it is merely pushed over the lip 43 and under the ledges and lips 86, 1| and 45, and then sprung under the lip 43.

Adjacent the card index is the printing plate H5. At its long edges, this plate is serrated as shown at IIB, to facilitate its placement on the frame by sliding it over the spring tongue 38 and under the ledges 55 and 85. At each of the shorter edges, spring tongue 3l retains the plate against longitudinal movement, by virtue of the fact that its abutment 46 is raised by the spring action to abut the edge l H. The inwardly extending portion of the abutment 4i ts closely into mating notches of the plate H5 and aids in preventing transverse movement of the plate H5. The movement parallel with the long edges of the frame, as has been stated, is prevented by the abutments of the spring tongues 38.

The plate I I5 is adapted to have embossed thereon raised type characters I 28. These characters may be in the form of a name and address or may convey any other meaning desired, such,

for instance, as dividend data for stock certiiicates. The index card H0 may contain a transcript of the characters on the plate H5 or any Cir other material suitable for proper indexing. The

tab M35, if used, may be placed in any keeper desired, to give a visual indication of the class of the subject-matter on the plate, or to be acted upon by suitable selecting mechanism in the printing machine to cause the plate carrying the tab in this position to be either printed or skipped, as determined by the setting of the machine.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that I have devised an efficient method which is of great advantage in accurately forming plate-like printing devices. Due to the fact that I retain each individual blank as an integral part printing plates, comprising intermittently passing an integral strip between a series of dies each die acting over substantially the same area as a finished frame, said dies acting in succession to notch the outer edges of said strip for forming spring tongues on said strip, and to form ab-utments on the previously formed spring tongues, while the strip is positioned and retained in position by means engaging said notches, and subsequently severing a frame from the positioned strip in the area of said notches while the strip is retained in position by means engaging said notches.

12. The method of forming holding frames for printing plates, comprising intermittently passing an integral strip between a series of dies, each die having substantially the same area as a linished frame, said dies acting in succession to notch the outer edges of said strip to form spring tongues on said strip, to next form abutments on the previously formed spring tongues, to then overturn the edges of the strip between previously formed notches to form flanges embodying inwardly facing and downwardly eX- tending channels running lengthwise of said strip, to bend said channels inwardly along the face of said strip forming downwardly extending ribs, each of said operations being performed on different integral portions of said strip simultaneously, positioning and retaining said strip in accurate position relative to the dies by engaging said notches and said inturned flanges and the edges of said rib at spaced intervals, subsequently severing a frame from the positioned strip in the area of said notches, subsequently positioning the severed frame by means abutting the notched surface thereof and forming keepers to receive index tabs on said frame while so positioned.

13. The method of making individual devices from a continuous strip in different operations, which comprises retaining the partially formed blanks as integral portions of said stripfor several operations, guiding said strip during these operations, severing a forward portion of the strip, advancing the severed portion in the same direction as the connected strip, and simultaneously acting on the connected strip, and bending the rear and forward edges vof the severed portion while maintaining the body of the severed portion substantially planular.

14. The method for making a device of the class described, comprising performing a plurality of related forming operations simultaneously on a connected strip, as such strip is fed through the region in which the operations are performed, successively severing said strip to make l a plurality of individual units but retaining said units in alignment with said strip and simultaneously forming both the connected strip and the plurality of individual units. l

15. 'I'he method of forming individual devices,` comprising intermittently feeding a substantially continuous strip between a series of pairs of dies a distance substantially equivalent to the lengthv tions of the strip are being acted on.

16. The method of forming individual devices, comprising intermittently feeding a substantially continuous strip between a series of pairs of dies, a distance substantially equivalent to that required for onedevice, one of the pairs of dies coacting to cut notches in opposite edges vof said strip, thereafter guiding and locating said strip by engaging said notches while another pair of said dies act to turn the edges of the strip between notches.

17. The method of forming holding frames for printing plates, comprising intermittently passing an integral strip between a series of dies, said dies acting in succession to form spring tongues on said strip, and to form abutments on the previously formed spring tongues, subsequently severing a frame from the strip, and bending over the edge of the frame along the line of severance.

18. The method of making individual devices, n

comprising guiding a substantially continuous strip between a series of pairs of aligned dies adapted to form said devices by a series of successive actions, each die performing a different operation on said strip, intermittently progressing said strip a distance equivalent to that required for one device, whereby each partially formed blank is consecutively engaged by each pair of dies while remaining an integral part of said strip, severing the endrnost partiallyformed blank from the advance end of said strip, and bending the rear edge of the severed unitwhile maintaining said unit in the plane of the strip and at the same operation which forms a previous portion of the continuous strip.

19. The method for making a printing device, comprising performing a plurality of different forming operations on united portions of a metal strip simultaneously, including reducing the eX- treme width` of the strip, and progressively guiding said strip from a region where one operation is performed to the next region by guiding means engaging the reformed edges after such reduction in width. 

